| February | ||||
| 02-27-09 | * | We will meet at 10:30 at Revolution Wines in Midtown Sacramento. Revolution is Sacramento's first urban winery and before this time, you'll have a reading on urban wineries to get you somewhat caught up on this phenomenon. You'll want to take notes on what Gina Genshlea (owner) has to say about the winery and how they use the space for things other than tasting. The tasting room opens at noon for Revolution, so our tour will be completed before then. I'll expect that you're reading to ask intelligent, engaged questions of our host. | ||
| * | Revolution Wines website. Take note of the events that they have posted. How might these compare to events offered at a Napa Valley winery? Are they substantially different? Are they not? - that's part of the discussion. (Just to note, on February, 27, Revolution is having a Chocolate and Massage night. You'll probably hear about that on our field trip. I'm on their mailing list for events, and if you'd like to get on, you can do so through their website.) | |||
| * | Directions
and Parking Parking is available on P Street. There are metered spaces, but just east of the location there is free street parking.  Revolution
Wines is located in the back of this building. There's a little gate
just to the right of this building, walk through there and the tasting
room doors will be on your left. The address is: 2116 P Street (behind 2114). Remember, you're actually going to see 2116, not 2114 from P Street.
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| * | You can become a fan of Revolution Wines on Facebook® | |||
| * | Site
Visit Release Form All of you must print out and sign this form in order to be able to participate on the trip. It's fairly standard and basically says what we discussed the first day of class. |
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| * | Site
Visit Summary Form Each of your trips will require a review. This form can be used for each trip, and it is expected that you will make the necessary adjustments depending on the location and what you observe. For example, Revolution Wines says we'll get to see some wine production happening. That should be great. Other locations, such as the Lodi Wine Center, won't have that, but they'll have other things to comment on. So make appropriate headings where necessary to describe extra things you saw besides the standard categories given. |
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| March | ||||
| 03-24-09 03-25-09 |
* | The RPTA 182/184 field trip to Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is scheduled for this time. It's right in wine country, and for those of you participating (or not), you might take this time to visit a winery in the Napa/Sonoma area. As per the 196B syllabus, you have three scheduled trips and a fourth trip that's of your choosing. You can make this part of the 182/184 experience if you'd like. (You still have to participate in the 182/184 presentations, unless you did that last year, but if you arrive early on the 24th, you can do a winery visit. Be aware that on the 25th the Sonoma Mission Inn part of the trip will last until about 4:00, and wineries close at about 4:30, so you probably won't be able to do one that same day.) Please note the location of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn in relation to the wineries. Castello di Amorosa is a good drive. Ravenswood is very close. So keep those things in mind. You can complete this trip anytime during the semester. I recommend March because in April we'll have Lodi and Amador to visit. | ||
| Fourth Trip Ideas/Suggestions in Napa and Sonoma Valleys: | ||||
| * | Castello di Amorosa in north Napa Valley. This winery will really show you what wine tourism is all about (there is wine tasting as part of the tour, but the castle is a total tourist attraction, and it was recently used as a set in a Disney movie). You'll have to call ahead to reserve your tour date and time. | |||
| * | Domaine Chandon in Yountville (also in Napa Valley). This is classy - they understand how to give tours as part of the total experience. Plus, it's sparkling wine! They are part of the Dom Pérignon family. You'll want to visit this location, and also stroll through Yountville and notice how it's set up for tourism. One of the videos on the course homepage focuses on Yountville. Good eats? Totally. You'll find the super-expensive French Laundry (Thomas Keller), Bouchon, Ad Hoc, and my favorite, Hurley's. You'll spend a little more money in Yountville, but you'll understand why. | |||
| * | Gundlach Bundschu is in south Sonoma Valley. If you remember from the class lecture, this is the oldest operating family winery in California. Jen Piatt's favorite. They have a new website, and it looks great. | |||
| * | Buena Vista is in south Sonoma Valley on the Carneros trail. This is the oldest operating corporate winery in California. Sonoma has history that surpasses all other wine regions. Very nice website also. | |||
| * | Ravenswood in Sonoma. No Wimpy Wines! They have fun with their wines and they tend to be more casual and funky that some of the more formal places. Very close to downtown Sonoma. | |||
| * | Everett Ridge in Healdsburg - north end of Sonoma Valley. One of the few African American owned wineries in the United States, and the Everett Ridge site has the second oldest wine building in Sonoma. The Sterling brothers run this place, and they also own Cole Ranch, the smallest appellation in the United States. (See the class homepage for a short video on Esterlina/Everett Ridge.) | |||
| Hey Greg, I want to do something wine-related, but not wine: | ||||
| * | Anheuser-Busch is in Fairfield at the gateway to Napa Valley. This is the contrast between the vineyard-covered hills of Napa and the factory-tour of beer. But certainly this is appropriate for this course. | |||
| * | Saint
Helena Olive Oil Company is in Napa Valley near the high-end
wine region of Rutherford. Olive oil has significantly increased its
tourism appeal over the last decade, and specialty olive oils can cost
you over $50.00 a bottle. There is a gift shop here and a tasting room
where the hostesses will discuss the fine qualities of olive oil - just
like wine. It's a nice alternative to the wine, but still certainly part
of the greater world of agri-tourism.  |
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| Napa/Sonoma's
a bit far, anywhere else I can go?: This class isn't out to make you drive hours if you don't have the time or money. You might be surprised that there's a lot to do right around Sac. |
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| * | Robert
Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science in nearby Davis. Some
of you are really into the production of wine and beer. UC Davis as the
very top program in the country in viticulture and enology, and last
October they opened their brand new, totally beautiful, building. They
also just broke ground on the Anheuser-Busch Brewing and Food Science
Laboratory (Charles Bamforth that wrote the book Grape vs. Grain that we
had a reading from is the head of this facility) and the Teaching and
Research Winery (complete with vineyards). It's all right near the
Mondavi Center visible from I-80. You'll have to call for a tour, but
there's a garden, the vineyards and a fantastic facility to look at. |
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| * | David Girard Vineyards in Placerville. If you're interested in this area, Girard is one of the more tourist-ready wineries in El Dorado County. | |||
| * | Old Sugar Mill is right in the Sacramento River Delta region. It's close. There are five wineries represented in a restored building. Interesting location and they also host events. If you don't want to drive far, this is a good pick. | |||
| * | Placer County - there are several wineries in the Sierra Foothill in and around Auburn. I actually have yet to have a good wine from Placer County, but if you know of one or would simply like to try one in this area, visit the website and find one that looks like they have a tasting room and a location that might also host events. That way you'll get a full experience. | |||
| April | ||||
| 04-10-09 | * | We
will meet at 10:00AM at the Lodi Wine and
Visitor Center in Lodi,
right next to Wine and Roses restaurant and hotel. Mark Chandler,
who's the director at the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center, is excited that we're coming and I think, if
you haven't been, you'll be surprised at the use of the facility. Russ
Munson, owner of Wine and Roses will also be there to talk about his
facility. More
information will be posted as we get closer to the date of the
trip. This trip should last until about 12:30PM, so please do
not make plans to leave before then. There is on-site parking, and I'll
trust you can visit the website to find directions to the center. It
looks like we'll also hear from the Lodi
Conference and Visitors Bureau, which will bring another
perspective to marketing a wine region. Plan to learn a lot! Lodi Wine & Visitor Center 2545 W. Turner Rd. Lodi, CA 95242 Drive carefully! The 99 between Sacramento and Lodi has points where people brake for no apparent reason. It can go from high speed to sudden slow-downs. Also, coming out of the wine center and getting back to the 99, you'll find cops - so again, be cautious and careful. The trip will be fun and educational and a good opportunity for those of you interested in internships. We want to emphasize the positive and not have any incidents. |
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| * | Site
Visit Release Form: Lodi Wine Center All of you must print out and sign this form in order to be able to participate on the trip. It's fairly standard and basically says what we discussed the first day of class. |
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| * | Site
Visit Summary Form (Trip Review) Please fill out this form after the field trip. Naturally, you'll want to adapt any specifics to what you've learned for the day. |
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| * | Map
to Lodi Wine and Visitors Center Most of you have probably found this on their website already, but here's the map. The actual address is: Lodi Wine & Visitor Center 2545 W. Turner Rd. Lodi, CA 95242 |
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| May | ||||
| 05-08-09 |  |
...every
one of these stones contains a bear. |
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| * | Please note that the Amador County (Shenandoah Valley) trip date has been replaced by R. H. Phillips Winery (makers of Toasted Head wines) in the beautiful Dunnigan Hills. R. H. Phillips is the only winery in the Dunnigan Hills Appellation, which makes them quite unique indeed. The date is May 8th, 11:00AM. This will be your last trip of the semester. | |||
| * | Toasted Head gets its name from the practice of toasting oak barrels before aging the wine. It gives their wines a very distinctive flavor, especially in the reds like their syrah and cabernet sauvignon. As we learned in class in the lecture on the mythology of wine, every good wine should have a legend - it helps connect people to your wine and make them fans. Toasted Head, in using William Carpenter's prose, combined with their toasted barrel practice, has created a legend and logo for their wines that's very distinctive. Read about the Legend here. | |||
| * | Toasted Head wines are typically mid-priced, ranging between $7.00 and $20.00 per bottle. It's a perfect way to end the course because you'll discover a nice set of wines that make distinctive gifts that at the same time, won't cost you a fortune. You'll also find their well-known cabernet sauvignon in grocery stores throughout the northern California region, which means you can buy it on the way to a dinner party without necessarily going by the winery. | |||
| * | R. H. Phillips does a very unique night harvest for their grapes. They don't like them to sit for a few days like many wineries do. So they get loads of workers, portable lighting, and they harvest all night long and then bring the grapes in immediately for the crush. You'll find an entire line of Night Harvest (separate from Toasted Head) wines sold specifically on-site when we visit. Learn about Night Harvest wines here. | |||
| * | The Toasted Head website is one that they've been working on extensively for the past year. I was talking to Liz Steiner about it recently, and it's really come along. Want to host a Toasted Head party? Here are some ideas from the website. | |||
| * |
Site
Visit Release For: R. H. Phillips All of you must print out and sign this form in order to be able to participate on the trip. It's fairly standard and basically says what we discussed the first day of class. |
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| * | Getting
to R. H. Phillips is relatively easy. It's close to Sacramento in Yolo
County's Dunnigan Hills. The address is: 26836 County Rd. 12A Esparto, CA 95627 Google Maps has the location correct. The only trick is that as you head north on I-5, the exit is County Road 13. Unfortunately it doesn't say that on the sign. It says Zamora on the sign, so take that one. (If you get to I-505 off I-5, you've gone too far, however you will cross the 505 once you turn on County Road 13. County Road 13 turns into Road 14 (which crosses the 505) which turns into Country Road 14.) In general, the Road signs aren't well marked (it's the country, what can you say?), but if you look at the map, you'll have no trouble getting there. It's only about 30 minutes from downtown Sacramento, but obviously, if you're one of those people that gets turned around easily, give yourself more time. We'll start the tour/talk at 11:00AM. |
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| * | R.
H. Phillips Trip Pictures: Group Photo I Group Photo II From the hilltop wedding site I From the hilltop wedding site II From the hilltop wedding site III From the hilltop wedding site IV From the hilltop wedding site (olives!) Tasting Room/Grounds Tasting Room/Grounds Tasting Room/Grounds Tasting Room/Grounds Tasting Room/Grounds |
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| > | After each trip, you must fill out a Wine Tourism Trip Review (site visit summary). This will be posted before the Revolution Wines trip. | |||
